The main difference between switch-point bars and regular joint bars beside the length and number of holes is the switch-point bars have a slight bend between the 2 middle holes equal to the angle of the switch point. This allows the points to swing without being tight. The switches on this railroad have a heel block to hold the heel of the switch and the closure rail at a fixed distance from the stock rail and attached to it for extra strength. Track with gage-rods with 2 jaws for each rail will tend to not have the rail roll over as the rail is held very securely by the base. The best gauge rods are ties because then the rails are supported and held to gauge. The least expensive rods have one jaw and a hook on the other end.
Thank you Roy for adding that. Excellent information to add in to this video. Also to note, the nuts on the two hole side are never tightened up to full torque. They are left a hair bit loose to allow switch point to move. If nuts are torqued too tight, then switch point may not move over.
@@ccrx6700 That is why the bars are bent and usually have a thimble to allow the movement of the switch point without binding it. Insulated joints have insulation thimbles as well as insulation plates or pieces between the bars and the rail. The bolts go through the thimbles. There have been a lot of specialized fittings to use on track as well as specialized tools to get the job done, ie spike mauls, spike pullers, spike lifters, track jacks that will trip, and other specialized tools.
The correct name isn't joint bar, but fishplate. Each rail joint needs two fishplates, an inner and an outer. At the heel of a switch blade (the tapered rail) the joint MUST be kept tight - yet loose. That is to allow the blade itself, to slide across a small/minute angle (possibly only 2 - 3 degrees), between the aiming of the switchblade - in total, being set one way or the other. Having a 6 hole plate there, will restrict slightly, the ability of the blade itself, to be moved enough, to get the set of the switch "straight or curved". Oh and yes, if one tightens ALL of the fishbolts (on any fishplate set - at the heel of a switch blade) one can effectively "snap" a switch blade, that cannot move freely from open to closed position & visa versa. Yet a very loose "heel fishplate set", (that allows the blade too much movement), could mean that the blade itself, can "roll" under the weight of a wagon or loco. As an Track Inspection Ganger on the NZR - I know without a doubt, that the useless dog spikes, and the aged / rotten condition of those sleepers, combined to allow the gauge on that curve to be WELL BEYOND the gauge limits for that curve to begin with, which in turn, allowed the rail to roll over as the dog spikes (being lifted up or away from the rail or missing even) were not in fact holding gauge, let alone the rail itself.
Just found your channel. Used to work section out of Edgemont south Dakota then into the roundhouse as a carded machinist. Worked mostly on SD40-2 GE Locomotives. Also SD-9'S for the high line to homestake mine. Main line trains were coal and hopper trains from Gillette Wyoming. Largest derailment I worked was 114 cars full of coal. Dumped them on my own land. That was back in '78.
I work for one of those cost cutting companies. We have orders to "run to failure". After we run to failure our maintence crews rig it to run some more until it is completely destroyed. We haven't had PM in our paper mill for 15 years. When people ask what I do for a living I tell them my company tries to make state of the art products using the finest in broken down antiques.
HULCHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. Never has a truck door spoken more truth. I had thd opportunity to watch them in action a couple of times and they can change the complexion of a train wreck pretty quick.
You are so right in saying that Jasper, true professionals, we always get great service from them here. They do their very best to please us. Well worth the money they charge.
Yeah, Hulcher had a base of operations near where I grew up and occasionally they would come right past our house on the way to a job. When I heard the sound of their lowboy trucks coming I would run out to watch them rumble by, some carrying the dozers and others hauling the dozer side booms and counterweights. Always an impressive parade of industrial muscle on the move...
I'm glad to see you have gotten your derailment cleared up so quickly, thank you for sharing Dave! The amount of knowledge you need to do your job is amazing, you are a great asset to the company you work for!
@@ccrx6700 Yes & that's barely the half of it isn't it. An understatement if ever there was one, made by @raymondsprengelmeyer1278 !!!! [quote] The amount of knowledge you need to do your job is amazing [unquote] One not only has to learn these simple things, but the more complex tasks of determining the amount of "bend" one must exert on new rail, (with a CROW - a U shaped rail bender, that has a central screw turned by - of all things, a CROWBAR) before laying it down, on curves, and transitions, to get the correct "set" to the rail, to allow the (hopefully new) sleepers and fastenings to hold it in place, without it trying to restraighten itself. That is, after determining whether the rail is an inside curve rail or an outside curve rail, as the head of every rail, has a slight "tilt" and beveled edge, meaning that one can accidentally get it wrong, and have a low rail mounted on the outside of a curve, where the wheels don't run true. In newly laid track, we hear this as a major SQUEAL. It's the sound of the two wheel set, (as every railway axle has both wheels fixed SOLIDLY on the one axle) trying to realign itself, as the low wheel or the higher one, slips slightly along the top of the rail, allowing the wheelset to be TURNED - a turning motion that is only done by a combination of the track gauge, the curve of the rail, and the height of the outer (top) rail, above that of the inner (low) rail. The later, being determined by CANT. Curved gauge is also different to straight track gauge, with tighter curves requiring a wider gauge, to allow the wagon wheel flanges, to "fit" between the curved rails at various gauges.. One must also get one's face (and an eye) down to rail top height, to sight the TOP, (when measuring the "gauge AND CANT of track" about every ten feet) to ensure it doesn't undulate too much, especially where CANT is involved, as cross-cant anywhere, (called a TWIST) can cause enough track surface twist to occur, that a wagon's wheels LIFT above the rail allowing the flange to ride off the rail, also another cause of derailments. And don't get me started on all the trillions of other seemingly innocuous / small tasks, one must remember on a daily, to be a track maintenance person.
The government loves gauge rods. We have a section of track that the navy built for us to bring in trident rocket cars for them. Every other crib has a Gauge rod for 3 to 4 rail lengths.
Thank you Michael for the cool info and for checking out the video. Those rods are neat can adjust gage and they really do a great job at holding gage. May you have a most blessed day my friend.
It's good that Hulcher was able to get in there and get everything cleared up so fast...and even better that all of the cars involved stayed upright. Thanks, Dave.
They did an amazing job and quick Scotty, but that's whey they are the best in the business, at least around here. we do rely on them. Thank you for watching my friend.
Hi Dave I used to go to a rail road shop in Cincinnati there shop had several rails running threw there shop they would have spare wheel sets what amazes me you can roll the wheel set one handed as much as they way glad hulcher got you fixed up
Yes they roll pretty easy, can roll and entire truck set without the car body also with some good muscle behind it, at least on level grade. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Thanks for this informatiVe video: as the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"; in this case several multiples of a thousand dollars worth of cure.
I absolutely love watching your videos. My Gramps was a 50 year veteran for the Erie Lackawanna in Meadville PA and I recall many nights when he was called out for this and that derailment. I was too young to appreciate the things he dealt with on a daily basis. Your videos are a treasure trove of un-appreciated memories of my gramps for me. May God continue to bless my grandpa, Lucas Artmen and you! The stuff you are sharing is REALLY something special. THANK YOU. And please be careful out there, Gramps got run over by an engine in the Meadville yards exactly two days past his 65th birthday (he needed 6 more weeks to reach 50 years with the Erie Lackawanna) on or about 1972.
Thank you for the nice comment aolinger, glad to hear you enjoyed. I sure wish I could have met with your grandpa, we would have talked railroading all day long. Sounds like a special guy. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Have a chat with Shoestring Hobo - (an old rail-rider and UA-camr) as his knowledge of the rail is impressive. ie: www.youtube.com/@TheHoboShoestring
Seeing stuff made right after a failure is very satisfying! I remember a few emergency jobs that were super tough, but when they were done and back up & running, it was a great feeling! Getting things back in action quickly and properly is a sign of a skilled crew of people who care. Keep up the awesome work!
You are certainly right about that Lowell. Things go wrong everywhere, but like you say, when you get them fixed that is a great feeling. Really appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks for ALL the great information. Anyone can be a reporter. But takes skill to be an investigative and indepth reporter. You do a great job at doing both.
Thank you for the nice comment Mike. Glad to hear you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thanks for all your inside info with a nice casual easy going tone. The lack of wild music as with some videos is also appreciated 😄 My gauge is nine millimeters, commonly referred to as N gauge. Considerably less expensive and easier to manage than your railroad 😂. Just remember to wear your most powerful reading glasses. 😂
Wow, great video. I used to work on a track maintenance crew decades ago as a young guy. I know what goes on behind the scenes and how hard the job can be. It takes a hell of a good crew to do the job of repairing this derailment in such a short time. People have no idea. Very impressive to see this.
Thank you for the nice comment Bassotornics. Happy Dave makes for good videos..... LOL Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
It’s amazing how fast they got it all cleaned up. You had a long memorial day weekend. Hope you did get some rest. Thanks for the video. Stay safe out there.
Thank you for the nice comment Beverly. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
Dave, thank you for sharing, 40 to 50 years ago, I grew up and had a job in a machine shop in Gettysburg, PA….was that the location where Hulcher got started, the original mothership? I recall back then, the dudes that worked for Hulcher were formidable and a very tough bunch, they worked like plow horses until the job was done!. They were and still appear to be the big guns in the rail clean up business…. looks like they have depots all over the country now. Interesting post. Most of the public out there don’t understand the effort needed to keep a rail business going. Everything is 6 x heavy!! Stay safe, brother!
Appreciate your sharing that with us Randy, I'm not sure where Hulcher started, they have a station 30 minutes from us, NS keeps them busy here....LOL Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Glad you are enjoying the shows Mr. Lynnrosaasen. Thank you so much for the nice comment and for taking the time to watch the track repair video my friend.
Thank you so much Barry for the kind words, that was really nice of you to say that. Very much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Another great tutorial by the professor of railroad track maintenance! Sorry about the mess but thank you for explaining how the derailment occurred and how you fixed the track!
@@ccrx6700 Actually - I've seen that you reply to a lot of comments here, so for that (and possibly that alone - although anything todo with trains & rails - are in my blood). I too will sub. Have also been reading a lot of other comments and liking them along the way.
We are absolutely delighted to see the work was done overnight and the railroad could be used in the morning. I have no doubt that the men would have gone to a hotel to get some sleep before collecting their equipment. Thank you for bringing us this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by the people.
Thank you for the nice comment John. Glad to hear you liked the video. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thank you Michael, yes sir we're doing okay, had some pretty good guys who worked really hard to get track back in service. Always a pleasure to have you visit with me and may you have a most blessed day my friend and enjoy your refreshment.
That's awesome Dave,your the glue that holds that place together,when you retire,it might come unglued, I really enjoy watching your show and I'll catch ya on the next one
Thank you for the nice comment Big Mack. I'm only 1 monkey in the circus here, when I go, they will just get another monkey. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thank you so much Harold for the kind words. I do try to maintain a positive attitude even tho sometimes it's not the easiest thing to do. Dwelling on negatives seems to lead to more negative things happening in your life. Thankful for your visiting with us to watch the video my friend.
This was why I was asking about the comparison of wood vs cement ties and this derailment explores the reasoning much more clearly. The irony of this happening just after those videos is just synchronicity. I understand much more clearly why the choice of wood over cement. Thx dave.
While I don't remember what you had said MJ, this derailment would have destroyed any concrete ties we might have had in there, which if so, would have doubled the amount of time to get track back in service. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
As always Dave love your videos. You and your crew are the unsung heroes and back bone of the rail road. Your awesome. I feel bad for you though, when I see the messes you have to deal with . Take care Dave and again thank you.
Appreciate the nice comment Larry. Things happen but that's railroading. :-) Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Your right about that Ketil, and our parts are much bigger than the ones you had most likely...:-) Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
No they didn't Jasper, only thing the prep plant had to shut down for a few hours, but underground never stopped. That is a good thing. Thanks so much for checking out the video and may you have a most blessed day my friend.
I'd like to see Dave at the controls of that Caterpilar 583K, screeching down the right of way, with the Hulcher crew in pursuit. Dave turning around and laughing, as he is bound to do. lol
Yep, that would be cool, that's Bulldozin.....LOL Appreciate the nice comment 549BR. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Ours is four foot eight and a half gauge . It was said that that measurement came from the distance between Roman chariot wheels. That track looks rough. We use much stronger rods than you have in the video and now have more concrete sleepers ( ties) Great video, I did 45 years in the industry .
It sure is Eric, a D8 in disguise. Cat advertised the 583 as a pipe layer, only difference in an 8 and it is the extra winches for the side booms, of course also the side boom itself. Otherwise it's an 8. Thank you for checking out the video and may you have a most blessed day my friend.
I guess I do Captain Keyboard, but that is my job, a lot of variety which I do like. Really appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.
A thank-you to all of the great Americans like yourself, that actually make the country work...I cannot do your kind of work, but I do marvel and benefit from it!
Judging by the Chinese components used on the railroad (and other places) it is Chinese communists keeping the US together and running after a fashion.
Thank you for the nice comment Terry. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
I really enjoy your videos, all your videos shows real life situations that I’ve dealt with as a MOW track worker, especially derailments at our coal terminal here in Alabama. The majority of the derailments were caused by wide gauge due to the coal corroding the rail and spikes along with lateral pressure of the coal cars, ending with the rail rolling over. lol countless hours of overtime!
Very glad you are enjoying the home movies Brandon. Your so right about coal eating away at the spikes. It eats up the tie plates, rail and joint bar bolts too. Our problem is the coal builds up and then you can't see the spikes to do a proper track inspection. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Great video Dave, you've answered a lot of questions that a lot of us probably had. I've always been fascinated with trains going all the way back to when i was a kid.
That coal company is so fortunate to have a guy like you who cares about his job, the train, the industry. I can't imagine how much more down time they'd have if Joe-Schmoe was taking care of the track. I hope they compensate you handsomely.
Thank you Peter for the kind and flattering words, I'm blushing. Appreciate your checking out the video and may you have a most blessed day my friend. Also I don't come to work for the money, I'm doing okay in that area, I come because I love railroading.
@@eddiekilby They do, but you will only see those people in privately run, railway enthusiast groups, keeping old rolling stock / track and ancient locomotives alive. The modern track worker is doomed to be a sightseer, inside a computerized machine, that does all the manual work (and the calculations) for them. It's a dying artform, working manually on a railway. And dying is a two edged sword, as most of the blokes I worked with, both young and older, died very shortly after retiring, from the NZR back in the days of long slogging / hard working / manual labour
2 loose spikes is no big deal, that track is in Fed regulations for the class of track we have here. Also how do you know if I pulled them out and replaced the spikes after I made the video or not? Perhaps I did, that is what track inspections are all about finding problems and fixing them when you find them.
Thank you Steve for the kind words and for checking out the video. I'm sure you been on your share of all nighters over the years. May you have a most blessed day my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment North Detroit. Yes I am appreciated here, they only call me sh*t head once in a while instead of every day....LOL LOL. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment OregonCrow. Glad to hear you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Dave ,been doing switches for many years, can cut a regular joint bar to size of the kink bar, the drillings are the same as standard except for the 6th hole. Will not interfere with the function of the shoulder bolt or the movement of the point. If gauge rods are not available a spike behind the plate on the field side can work till permanent repair can be done.
Thanks for the tip Billy, I never thought of doing that, you are right it would work great in a pinch and will certainly keep that in mind if ever need a future. All our plates have holes for the anchor spikes, but hear you on the spike behind if sometime would be needed. Excellent comment my friend!
I was going to ask if "rolled over" rail could be reset, or if it becomes "sprung" and replaced. But he answers it. Then I was going to ask about the need for cleaning the ballast, and he already answered that too! I love that he explains the ins and outs to us armature's.
I used to do a lot of track work when I was a teenager in the 70s at IRM in Union Ill. For levelling track one of the crew would shoot a reference with a transit and we would use track jacks and tie shovels to get in spec. We used gauge bars to makes sure everything was as it should be. Spiking and spike pulling was all done manually. Excellent video, enjoyed it much!
Thank you for the nice comment pooweg. Glad to hear you liked the video. Someday I will get out there and visit the IRM. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment BW, so glad to hear you are enjoying. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Oooh! Ty for pinned comment! Seems you answered a question I had about switch joint bars. Always something to learn! Glad the funds are coming in, and I pray things go smoothly for a long time with no serious issues, so you can catch up with things. If such a thing is possible, lol! Thanks for another neat video. Looking forward to your next one! Stay safe and well.
Thank you for the nice comment Trena. Glad to hear you liked the video. Lot's more videos to come. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thank you for the informative video. At 16:15 I like the spikes at the bottom left. Not sure if you can buy them like that off the shelf. When working on 2'6" gauge, if under sized would use two track jacks on their side, base to base to widen the gauge.
Appreciate your sharing that Kevin, we have used a jack and a crib block plus we also have a special gage tool to widen or close gage that has a ratchet in the center of it. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
LOL, Loved that play on words Mark! Thanks so much for the big smile you put on my face tonight. Appreciate your checking out the video and writing in my friend.
Good to see they got the trains rolling again so quick, they have some great gear and well organised when it comes to re railing things. Looks like the switch machine was not damaged so that's good, it would of been costly getting one of those brought in. The rods we call tie bars are only used to pull track to gauge here so never knew there were ones to push the track out
Thank you for the nice comment cedarcam. Tie bars I will have to remember that. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Yes they are David, we are very pleased with everything Hulcher does for us. Shame it had to happen, but it did and now all is well and fixed up again. Glad you could visit with us and take in the video my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment David. Glad to hear you liked the video. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Glad you enjoyed it Mr1fish. Thank goodness that we got some good help from a contractor on this one. All is well now and at least they are keeping the track cleaner so I can now see my spikes and ties. Very grateful my friend for your taking the time to visit with us and check out the track repairs video.
it is great that you were able to determine exactly what happened, and that you could fix it . it is so bad when the ties are weak and can not support the rails properly and then shift it is good the cars were not damaged. were any flanges broken? hulcher did a great job fixing the tracks. and gettingit all railed. take care Dave, be safe and stay healthy.
Thank you for the nice comment Barry. Glad you liked the video. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
HOwdy, Dave. I always enjoy your videos. Even the old ones. It's a whole lot easier re-railing an HO scale car than what you have to do. I reckon it's hard to maintain 4 feet 8 1/2 inches with rotten ties. Cheers from eastern TN
Rotten ties are the bane of railroading as you probably already know Rusty. I learned to re rail cars when I was a boy and running my HO set, they were always coming off track if I remember right. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Dave when ya cut corners on costs somewhere some how it will wind up costing you more! this is a perfect example of that! I worked in a shop that did that and eventually it cost them a very important machine seam making machine! in the process not to mention the down time and money they spent REPLACING the machine as opposed to simple maintenance!
Awesome video as always! I was surprised about there being a 42" gage didn't realize such a critter existed keep up the good work. I'm going to start my daughter on your videos when she isn't driving me crazy
Thank you for the nice comment Eugene, glad to hear you enjoyed. Your daughter is welcome to drive me crazy instead of you....LOL just teasing.... :-) Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
42 " gauge, more frequently called narrow gauge (or normal for those countries that use it as their main gauge) is 3ft 6inches. ALL of New Zealand's track gauge, is 3' 6" / 42 " (although in the mid 1970's when we went to metric, we also "took" a 1/4" of slack out of the flange gauge - as by then most of our older rolling stock had well worn wheel flanges) - thus NZ is now determined to be 1062mm gauge (I made my own "ultra narrow gauge" farm railway, as 1/2 scale; ie: 531 mm), just because I didn't want it as two foot gauge which would have required me to register it as an amusement railway, and pay excessive amounts of compliance costs..? South Africa also has the same 3'6" narrow gauge, as do several other countries world wide. In fact - there exists some 112,000 kilometers (70,000 mi) of '6" / 42" / 1,067 mm gauge track in the world, which are classified as narrow gauge railways When you eventually do some research on Google, you'll amaze yourself with the knowledge, that the largest / longest steam locomotives ever made, were the South African Railways GARRATTS - that ran on OMG - 42 " gauge. Other railways over there, including the original Rhodesian Railways - was 3'6" gauge. Which meant that LOT of locomatives and rolling stock too, was sent from them to NZ and visa versa. However, the Garratts were designed & built in the UK by Beyer-Garratt (where there were a lot of 42" railways.) I was amazed when researching my own 531mm (21" gauge hand built farm railway) that there was a VERY WELL DEVELOPED 15" railway with working steam locos etc., that ran all the way down into the marshlands in southern UK. To then do a complete circular turning loop, before heading back north. It was the world renowned Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romney,_Hythe_and_Dymchurch_Railway But I digress, as there are a LOT of 42" mainline railways - world wide. Here's an incomplete list. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_ft_6_in_gauge_railways
Great couple of videos of a derail cleanup, Dave. I'm a 20 year veteran engineer on a short line here in Arkansas. We usually clean up our own derails, but sometimes, ya just got to bite the bullet and call Hulcher (or RJ Corman). Hulcher's guys are amazing to watch at work. They don't mess around when they get on site. Your videos sure take me back to my own railroading days, which I really enjoyed.
Thank you grassblade for the very nice comment. We don't have the equipment to do jobs like that and Hulcher always does a good job for us also, yes they are amazing to watch. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Another great video Dave, glad everything got patched up with a quikness to turn and burn.. didnt know there where 2 different types of gage bars, i have one of the ones you shown.. good stuff
Thank you for the kind words Pappy. Nice to hear you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
Thank you for the kind words TheRopeAddict. Nice to hear you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
I've got to say. Been watching your videos for a month now and I like the raw content from a RR employee side of things. Views and info we don't get as regular railfans outside the fence most times. If I wasn't in VA and not working in aviation, this would be a Railfan location on my bucket list. 😅
Thank you for the nice comment AOGWardog, glad to hear you are enjoying the home movies. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Hello Dave, Wow, thank you very much for your explanation on the derailment, with the number of trains you company run it can't leave much time to keep the track in good condition. Thank you and your fellow crews for their time. There can't be many film makers like your self who give a free English lesson as well 🤣, (there is only the correct way to spell gauge.... as there is only one way to spell the name of the agricultural implement which turns the soil called a plough 🤣🤣🤣🤣) Many thanks for your time to share you railway knowledge with us, Rgds, Peter.
Appreciate the nice comment Peter. English teacher pays less than railroader so I'll stick with railroading for now....LOL Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Well another day railroading, these days are the best,when everything is running like it suppose to and the revenue is coming in,still love hearing the beast even if she is at idle,hope your feet are feeling better lol just kidding,again taking all in stride and doing what has to be done to get the job done,until the next adventure,take care my friend
We like to see them running coal with no flaws, which actually does happen 90% of the time, I just show the goof ups and not all the good times. Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
The main difference between switch-point bars and regular joint bars beside the length and number of holes is the switch-point bars have a slight bend between the 2 middle holes equal to the angle of the switch point. This allows the points to swing without being tight. The switches on this railroad have a heel block to hold the heel of the switch and the closure rail at a fixed distance from the stock rail and attached to it for extra strength.
Track with gage-rods with 2 jaws for each rail will tend to not have the rail roll over as the rail is held very securely by the base. The best gauge rods are ties because then the rails are supported and held to gauge. The least expensive rods have one jaw and a hook on the other end.
Thank you Roy for adding that. Excellent information to add in
to this video. Also to note, the nuts on the two hole side are never tightened up to full torque. They are left a hair bit loose to allow switch point to move. If nuts are torqued too tight, then switch
point may not move over.
@@ccrx6700 That is why the bars are bent and usually have a thimble to allow the movement of the switch point without binding it. Insulated joints have insulation thimbles as well as insulation plates or pieces between the bars and the rail. The bolts go through the thimbles. There have been a lot of specialized fittings to use on track as well as specialized tools to get the job done, ie spike mauls, spike pullers, spike lifters, track jacks that will trip, and other specialized tools.
Great info all, thanks!
The correct name isn't joint bar, but fishplate.
Each rail joint needs two fishplates, an inner and an outer.
At the heel of a switch blade (the tapered rail) the joint MUST be kept tight - yet loose.
That is to allow the blade itself, to slide across a small/minute angle (possibly only 2 - 3 degrees), between the aiming of the switchblade - in total, being set one way or the other.
Having a 6 hole plate there, will restrict slightly, the ability of the blade itself, to be moved enough, to get the set of the switch "straight or curved".
Oh and yes, if one tightens ALL of the fishbolts (on any fishplate set - at the heel of a switch blade) one can effectively "snap" a switch blade, that cannot move freely from open to closed position & visa versa.
Yet a very loose "heel fishplate set", (that allows the blade too much movement), could mean that the blade itself, can "roll" under the weight of a wagon or loco.
As an Track Inspection Ganger on the NZR - I know without a doubt, that the useless dog spikes, and the aged / rotten condition of those sleepers, combined to allow the gauge on that curve to be WELL BEYOND the gauge limits for that curve to begin with, which in turn, allowed the rail to roll over as the dog spikes (being lifted up or away from the rail or missing even) were not in fact holding gauge, let alone the rail itself.
Just found your channel. Used to work section out of Edgemont south Dakota then into the roundhouse as a carded machinist. Worked mostly on SD40-2 GE Locomotives. Also SD-9'S for the high line to homestake mine. Main line trains were coal and hopper trains from Gillette Wyoming. Largest derailment I worked was 114 cars full of coal. Dumped them on my own land. That was back in '78.
And this is why proper regular maitenence is important for everything.
Truer words were never spoken Arkay! Very much appreciate
your watching tonight and may you have a most blessed day
my friend.
years of neglected maintenance are catching up. the last co. did some nasty cost cutting.
I work for one of those cost cutting companies. We have orders to "run to failure". After we run to failure our maintence crews rig it to run some more until it is completely destroyed. We haven't had PM in our paper mill for 15 years. When people ask what I do for a living I tell them my company tries to make state of the art products using the finest in broken down antiques.
@@rearspeaker6364 that's not what's happening at all, he even explains it in the video
Tja, das Firmenlogo lautet: Wir müssen sparen, egal was es kostet 😢
HULCHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. Never has a truck door spoken more truth. I had thd opportunity to watch them in action a couple of times and they can change the complexion of a train wreck pretty quick.
You are so right in saying that Jasper, true professionals, we
always get great service from them here. They do their very
best to please us. Well worth the money they charge.
Hulcher is fast at cleaning up. But they are not cheap. Had them in Canada to clean up our mess.
Yeah, Hulcher had a base of operations near where I grew up and occasionally they would come right past our house on the way to a job. When I heard the sound of their lowboy trucks coming I would run out to watch them rumble by, some carrying the dozers and others hauling the dozer side booms and counterweights. Always an impressive parade of industrial muscle on the move...
Hulcher are masters at their craft. I've seen them clean up some pretty nasty wreck sites pretty quickly and efficiently.
You are right Shane, they certainly are, they always do a great
job for us. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
I'm glad to see you have gotten your derailment cleared up so quickly, thank you for sharing Dave! The amount of knowledge you need to do your job is amazing, you are a great asset to the company you work for!
Thank you for the nice comment Raymond, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700
Yes & that's barely the half of it isn't it.
An understatement if ever there was one, made by @raymondsprengelmeyer1278 !!!!
[quote]
The amount of knowledge you need to do your job is amazing
[unquote]
One not only has to learn these simple things, but the more complex tasks of determining the amount of "bend" one must exert on new rail, (with a CROW - a U shaped rail bender, that has a central screw turned by - of all things, a CROWBAR) before laying it down, on curves, and transitions, to get the correct "set" to the rail, to allow the (hopefully new) sleepers and fastenings to hold it in place, without it trying to restraighten itself.
That is, after determining whether the rail is an inside curve rail or an outside curve rail, as the head of every rail, has a slight "tilt" and beveled edge, meaning that one can accidentally get it wrong, and have a low rail mounted on the outside of a curve, where the wheels don't run true.
In newly laid track, we hear this as a major SQUEAL.
It's the sound of the two wheel set, (as every railway axle has both wheels fixed SOLIDLY on the one axle) trying to realign itself, as the low wheel or the higher one, slips slightly along the top of the rail, allowing the wheelset to be TURNED - a turning motion that is only done by a combination of the track gauge, the curve of the rail, and the height of the outer (top) rail, above that of the inner (low) rail.
The later, being determined by CANT.
Curved gauge is also different to straight track gauge, with tighter curves requiring a wider gauge, to allow the wagon wheel flanges, to "fit" between the curved rails at various gauges..
One must also get one's face (and an eye) down to rail top height, to sight the TOP, (when measuring the "gauge AND CANT of track" about every ten feet) to ensure it doesn't undulate too much, especially where CANT is involved, as cross-cant anywhere, (called a TWIST) can cause enough track surface twist to occur, that a wagon's wheels LIFT above the rail allowing the flange to ride off the rail, also another cause of derailments.
And don't get me started on all the trillions of other seemingly innocuous / small tasks, one must remember on a daily, to be a track maintenance person.
The government loves gauge rods. We have a section of track that the navy built for us to bring in trident rocket cars for them. Every other crib has a Gauge rod for 3 to 4 rail lengths.
Thank you Michael for the cool info and for checking out the video. Those rods are neat can adjust gage and they really do a great
job at holding gage. May you have a most blessed day my friend.
It's good that Hulcher was able to get in there and get everything cleared up so fast...and even better that all of the cars involved stayed upright. Thanks, Dave.
They did an amazing job and quick Scotty, but that's whey they
are the best in the business, at least around here. we do rely
on them. Thank you for watching my friend.
Hi Dave I used to go to a rail road shop in Cincinnati there shop had several rails running threw there shop they would have spare wheel sets what amazes me you can roll the wheel set one handed as much as they way glad hulcher got you fixed up
Yes they roll pretty easy, can roll and entire truck set without
the car body also with some good muscle behind it, at least
on level grade. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
That bent China Steel just blows my mind.Send that back for Refund.Thank you Dave.
I'm sure China will honor the warranty....LOL Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out the presentation my friend
Awesome video
Thank you for the nice comment Thomas, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Thanks for this informatiVe video: as the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"; in this case several multiples of a thousand dollars worth of cure.
Your welcome Robin, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
I absolutely love watching your videos. My Gramps was a 50 year veteran for the Erie Lackawanna in Meadville PA and I recall many nights when he was called out for this and that derailment. I was too young to appreciate the things he dealt with on a daily basis. Your videos are a treasure trove of un-appreciated memories of my gramps for me. May God continue to bless my grandpa, Lucas Artmen and you! The stuff you are sharing is REALLY something special. THANK YOU. And please be careful out there, Gramps got run over by an engine in the Meadville yards exactly two days past his 65th birthday (he needed 6 more weeks to reach 50 years with the Erie Lackawanna) on or about 1972.
Thank you for the nice comment aolinger, glad to hear you enjoyed.
I sure wish I could have met with your grandpa, we would have
talked railroading all day long. Sounds like a special guy. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Have a chat with Shoestring Hobo - (an old rail-rider and UA-camr) as his knowledge of the rail is impressive.
ie:
www.youtube.com/@TheHoboShoestring
Seeing stuff made right after a failure is very satisfying! I remember a few emergency jobs that were super tough, but when they were done and back up & running, it was a great feeling! Getting things back in action quickly and properly is a sign of a skilled crew of people who care. Keep up the awesome work!
You are certainly right about that Lowell. Things go wrong everywhere,
but like you say, when you get them fixed that is a great feeling.
Really appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and may you
have a very good day my friend.
Hello〜🦺🦺⛑️👷👷いつも。ためになる動画thank you〜🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
That's what I like about this channel you always learn something. 👍👍👍👍
Thank you for the nice comment Eddie, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Thanks for ALL the great information. Anyone can be a reporter. But takes skill to be an investigative and indepth reporter. You do a great job at doing both.
Thank you for the nice comment Earl, and you are welcome. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Glad to see all was handled well Dave. Stay safe buddy.
Thank you for the nice comment Mike. Glad to hear you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thanks for all your inside info with a nice casual easy going tone. The lack of wild music as with some videos is also appreciated 😄
My gauge is nine millimeters, commonly referred to as N gauge. Considerably less expensive and easier to manage than your railroad 😂. Just remember to wear your most powerful reading glasses. 😂
Appreciate the nice comment Tom. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Wow, great video. I used to work on a track maintenance crew decades ago as a young guy. I know what goes on behind the scenes and how hard the job can be. It takes a hell of a good crew to do the job of repairing this derailment in such a short time. People have no idea. Very impressive to see this.
Thank you for the nice comment Joe, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
A happy Dave is a happy railroad. I hope no more derailments for the year and hopefully never again!
Barreta will be watching. Haha. 😅
Thank you for the nice comment Bassotornics. Happy Dave
makes for good videos..... LOL Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
Dave, thanks for a rail gage explanation and how they are different.
You are quite welcome Harold, glad you enjoyed the show. Very much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
It’s amazing how fast they got it all cleaned up. You had a long memorial day weekend. Hope you did get some rest. Thanks for the video. Stay safe out there.
Thank you for the nice comment Beverly. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
Gotta love 1435 mm (4' 8.5") standard track gauge.
Thank you for the nice comment strredwolf. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Dave, thank you for sharing, 40 to 50 years ago, I grew up and had a job in a machine shop in Gettysburg, PA….was that the location where Hulcher got started, the original mothership? I recall back then, the dudes that worked for Hulcher were formidable and a very tough bunch, they worked like plow horses until the job was done!. They were and still appear to be the big guns in the rail clean up business…. looks like they have depots all over the country now. Interesting post. Most of the public out there don’t understand the effort needed to keep a rail business going. Everything is 6 x heavy!! Stay safe, brother!
Appreciate your sharing that with us Randy, I'm not sure where Hulcher started, they have a station 30 minutes from us, NS
keeps them busy here....LOL Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
I love the wat you explain what is going on in the rail road world, it operation every day, thanks Dave!
Glad you are enjoying the shows Mr. Lynnrosaasen. Thank you so much for the nice comment and for taking the time to watch the track repair video my friend.
You are, as always Dave, a mine of information. 😊
Thank you so much Barry for the kind words, that was really
nice of you to say that. Very much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Excellent vid Dave thanks hell of a job getting it back to normal .
Appreciate the nice comment Lawrie, hope Mrs. is still on the
uphill trend. Thank you for taking the time to visit and check out the video my friend.
Another great tutorial by the professor of railroad track maintenance! Sorry about the mess but thank you for explaining how the derailment occurred and how you fixed the track!
Thank you for the nice comment Dale, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Actually - I've seen that you reply to a lot of comments here, so for that (and possibly that alone - although anything todo with trains & rails - are in my blood).
I too will sub.
Have also been reading a lot of other comments and liking them along the way.
@@QUIX4U 👍😎😊
Yes! second part just dropped. Great video as always Dave
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Bruce. Thank you for taking the
time to visit with us and for the kind words. Hope you have a most
blessed day my friend.
Thanks for sharing great video there👍🏻🚂
Your very welcome Mike. Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Glad your back in business Dave
You and me both Doug. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out the presentation my friend
We are absolutely delighted to see the work was done overnight and the railroad could be used in the morning. I have no doubt that the men would have gone to a hotel to get some sleep before collecting their equipment. Thank you for bringing us this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by the people.
Thank you for the nice comment John. Glad to hear you liked the video. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Railroading with Dave; always nice to see someone who likes their work.
Thank you for the nice comment 549BR. Glad you enjoyed. Very
much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Thank you very much Dave very informative video.
Thank you for the nice comment Mike, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
A hole lot of damage because of a case of nervousness 🥴Glad you got her up and running again so quick!
Nothing at the local drug store to cure nervous rail Mojo...:-)
Thank you for taking the time to visit and check out the video my friend.
Well buddy you are doing ok. I’m just going sit back and watch. Drink some more ice water.😊
Thank you Michael, yes sir we're doing okay, had some pretty
good guys who worked really hard to get track back in service.
Always a pleasure to have you visit with me and may you
have a most blessed day my friend and enjoy your refreshment.
That's awesome Dave,your the glue that holds that place together,when you retire,it might come unglued, I really enjoy watching your show and I'll catch ya on the next one
Thank you for the nice comment Big Mack. I'm only 1 monkey in the circus here, when I go, they will just get another monkey. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
@@ccrx6700 your welcome, and I can understand that
@@bigmackstruckstop9213 👍😊
Very informative video David, thanks.
Thank you for the nice comment youknowme and you are welcome. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thank you Dave!
Your quite welcome Edward. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Excellent!
Thank you Tactical Gaming Network, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Hello from Texas as always!
Thank you jtg for checking out the video and howdy from Pa. May you have a most blessed day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 You as well be blessed!
@@jtg2737 👍😊
Dave Happy! Be like Dave😃
Thank you so much Harold for the kind words. I do try to maintain
a positive attitude even tho sometimes it's not the easiest thing to
do. Dwelling on negatives seems to lead to more negative things
happening in your life. Thankful for your visiting with us to watch
the video my friend.
This was why I was asking about the comparison of wood vs cement ties and this derailment explores the reasoning much more clearly.
The irony of this happening just after those videos is just synchronicity.
I understand much more clearly why the choice of wood over cement.
Thx dave.
While I don't remember what you had said MJ, this derailment
would have destroyed any concrete ties we might have had in there, which if so, would have doubled the amount of time
to get track back in service. Thank you for taking the time to
visit with us and check out the video my friend.
@@ccrx6700 the three wonderful videos explaining wood VS cement ties had perfect timing to further show why wood ties..
Learning is awesome.
@@mjphillips76 👍😊
As always Dave love your videos. You and your crew are the unsung heroes and back bone of the rail road. Your awesome. I feel bad for you though, when I see the messes you have to deal with . Take care Dave and again thank you.
Appreciate the nice comment Larry. Things happen but that's railroading. :-) Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Excellent job
Thank you for the nice comment HugsBach, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
As a once mechanic I feel a little envy. If you drop a part on the ground you'll likely find it again.. Thanks for sharing!
Your right about that Ketil, and our parts are much bigger than
the ones you had most likely...:-) Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
It sounds like the guys underground didn't lose any work.
No they didn't Jasper, only thing the prep plant had to shut down for a few hours, but underground never stopped. That is a good thing. Thanks so much for checking out the video and may you
have a most blessed day my friend.
I'd like to see Dave at the controls of that Caterpilar 583K, screeching down the right of way, with the Hulcher crew in pursuit. Dave turning around and laughing, as he is bound to do. lol
Yep, that would be cool, that's Bulldozin.....LOL Appreciate the nice comment 549BR. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Ours is four foot eight and a half gauge . It was said that that measurement came from the distance between Roman chariot wheels. That track looks rough. We use much stronger rods than you have in the video and now have more concrete sleepers ( ties) Great video, I did 45 years in the industry .
Appreciate the nice comment Doctordrott. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Oh yes, that Caterpillar is one heck of a rig! I love them old 583K sideboom tractors!
It sure is Eric, a D8 in disguise. Cat advertised the 583 as a pipe layer, only difference in an 8 and it is the extra winches for
the side booms, of course also the side boom itself. Otherwise
it's an 8. Thank you for checking out the video and may you have a most blessed day my friend.
You do lots of work on the railroad. If you enjoy those tasks, I bid you, "Happy Railroading!"
I guess I do Captain Keyboard, but that is my job, a lot of variety
which I do like. Really appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Thank you for typing to me. Blessed rails be yours and Happy Roading for dear life!
That's railroadin! Another great video from a professional. Stay safe out there.
Thank you for the nice comment Jason. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Very interesting.
Appreciate the nice comment. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video.
A thank-you to all of the great Americans like yourself, that actually make the country work...I cannot do your kind of work, but I do marvel and benefit from it!
Thank you Renegadedetenor for the nice comment. Was very nice of you to stop by and check out the video my friend.
Judging by the Chinese components used on the railroad (and other places) it is Chinese communists keeping the US together and running after a fashion.
Amazing that they got it cleaned up and running in such a short time. But I'm sure you could have done it yourself given a day or two. 😉
Thank you for the nice comment Terry. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
I really enjoy your videos, all your videos shows real life situations that I’ve dealt with as a MOW track worker, especially derailments at our coal terminal here in Alabama. The majority of the derailments were caused by wide gauge due to the coal corroding the rail and spikes along with lateral pressure of the coal cars, ending with the rail rolling over. lol countless hours of overtime!
Very glad you are enjoying the home movies Brandon. Your so
right about coal eating away at the spikes. It eats up the tie
plates, rail and joint bar bolts too. Our problem is the coal builds
up and then you can't see the spikes to do a proper track
inspection. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out
the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Those shots of the hill cut for the pipeline were cool.
Thank you CriticoolHit, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Great video Dave, you've answered a lot of questions that a lot of us probably had. I've always been fascinated with trains going all the way back to when i was a kid.
Thank you for the nice comment carguy. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
I love how you're teaching us about railroading. Thank you.
Thank you for the very nice comment Marti and you are welcome. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video my friend.
That coal company is so fortunate to have a guy like you who cares about his job, the train, the industry. I can't imagine how much more down time they'd have if Joe-Schmoe was taking care of the track. I hope they compensate you handsomely.
Thank you Peter for the kind and flattering words, I'm blushing.
Appreciate your checking out the video and may you have a most blessed day my friend. Also I don't come to work for the money,
I'm doing okay in that area, I come because I love railroading.
Yea they don't make them like Dave any more.
@@eddiekilby They do, but you will only see those people in privately run, railway enthusiast groups, keeping old rolling stock / track and ancient locomotives alive.
The modern track worker is doomed to be a sightseer, inside a computerized machine, that does all the manual work (and the calculations) for them.
It's a dying artform, working manually on a railway.
And dying is a two edged sword, as most of the blokes I worked with, both young and older, died very shortly after retiring, from the NZR back in the days of long slogging / hard working / manual labour
Man, it's been a while since I last viewed your channel.
And what a pleasure it is to watch it again.
Greetings to all.
Glad to hear you could find the time to stop back PJW.
Thank you for visiting again with us and checking out the presentation my friend
Wow 17:30 the chair on the left below the gauge rod, the spikes are just hanging out there m8 O.o
2 loose spikes is no big deal, that track is in Fed regulations for
the class of track we have here. Also how do you know if I pulled
them out and replaced the spikes after I made the video or not?
Perhaps I did, that is what track inspections are all about finding
problems and fixing them when you find them.
Great video as always dave and enjoyed watching. Looking good on the repairs. have a wonderful upcoming thursday.(Steve)
Thank you Steve for the kind words and for checking out the video.
I'm sure you been on your share of all nighters over the years. May you have a most blessed day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Your welcome and oh yes for sure. Thanks and have a nice rest of your Thursday.
Good to see the rr up and running again. Hated to hear about 60 day downtime. I am cheering for your success as a true American company.
Gonna have some video on the shut down, got a lot done on the RR. Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Learn something new every day about railroads
Glad to hear you enjoyed Jonathan. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
I hope your bosses apreciate your dedication as much as we viewers appreciate your vids.
Thank you for the nice comment North Detroit. Yes I am appreciated here, they only call me sh*t head once in a while
instead of every day....LOL LOL. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
More information learned from the one and only! Thanks so much for your efforts Dave, we all know you don't have to be doing any of this stuff! CHEERS
Thank you for the nice comment OregonCrow. Glad to hear you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Dave ,been doing switches for many years, can cut a regular joint bar to size of the kink bar, the drillings are the same as standard except for the 6th hole. Will not interfere with the function of the shoulder bolt or the movement of the point. If gauge rods are not available a spike behind the plate on the field side can work till permanent repair can be done.
Thanks for the tip Billy, I never thought of doing that, you are right
it would work great in a pinch and will certainly keep that in mind
if ever need a future. All our plates have holes for the anchor spikes, but hear you on the spike behind if sometime would be
needed. Excellent comment my friend!
I was going to ask if "rolled over" rail could be reset, or if it becomes "sprung" and replaced. But he answers it. Then I was going to ask about the need for cleaning the ballast, and he already answered that too! I love that he explains the ins and outs to us armature's.
Thank you for the nice comment Lance. Glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
I used to do a lot of track work when I was a teenager in the 70s at IRM in Union Ill. For levelling track one of the crew would shoot a reference with a transit and we would use track jacks and tie shovels to get in spec. We used gauge bars to makes sure everything was as it should be. Spiking and spike pulling was all done manually. Excellent video, enjoyed it much!
Thank you for the nice comment pooweg. Glad to hear
you liked the video. Someday I will get out there and visit the IRM. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend.
Thanks for all the videos! Its awesome to see this aspect of railroads rather than the more common rail fan type of thing.
Thank you for the nice comment BW, so glad to hear you are
enjoying. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Oooh! Ty for pinned comment! Seems you answered a question I had about switch joint bars. Always something to learn! Glad the funds are coming in, and I pray things go smoothly for a long time with no serious issues, so you can catch up with things. If such a thing is possible, lol! Thanks for another neat video. Looking forward to your next one! Stay safe and well.
Thank you for the nice comment Trena. Glad to hear you liked the video. Lot's more videos to come. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Thank you for the informative video. At 16:15 I like the spikes at the bottom left. Not sure if you can buy them like that off the shelf.
When working on 2'6" gauge, if under sized would use two track jacks on their side, base to base to widen the gauge.
Appreciate your sharing that Kevin, we have used a jack and a
crib block plus we also have a special gage tool to widen or close
gage that has a ratchet in the center of it. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Great video Dave, a gauge just wouldn’t be right without “u” in it Dave! 😁
LOL, Loved that play on words Mark! Thanks so much for the
big smile you put on my face tonight. Appreciate your checking out the video and writing in my friend.
Another great and informative video Dave. Happy rails to you my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment Lewis, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
First “BARETTA” reference in a very long time!!
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.... Thank you John for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Ccrx! Thanks for sharing your up's as well as your down's. Trucking ain't easy? And railroading ain't easy! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you for the nice comment George, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Good to see they got the trains rolling again so quick, they have some great gear and well organised when it comes to re railing things. Looks like the switch machine was not damaged so that's good, it would of been costly getting one of those brought in. The rods we call tie bars are only used to pull track to gauge here so never knew there were ones to push the track out
Thank you for the nice comment cedarcam. Tie bars I will have to remember that. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Glad to see everything back in order.
Thank you for the nice comment RFMCabooseNP and for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Wow that was quick good to see yall are back on rail and moving again Hulcher is good at what they do ...smooth railing and thanks for sharing Dave
Yes they are David, we are very pleased with everything Hulcher does
for us. Shame it had to happen, but it did and now all is well and
fixed up again. Glad you could visit with us and take in the video
my friend.
thank you all for your hard work getting it done !
Thank you for the nice comment David. Glad to hear you liked the video. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Very interesting, Dave. Glad you got the cars rerailed and back in business in a short time.
Glad you enjoyed it Mr1fish. Thank goodness that we got some
good help from a contractor on this one. All is well now and
at least they are keeping the track cleaner so I can now see my
spikes and ties. Very grateful my friend for your taking the time
to visit with us and check out the track repairs video.
it is great that you were able to determine exactly what happened, and that you could fix it .
it is so bad when the ties are weak and can not support the rails properly and then shift
it is good the cars were not damaged. were any flanges broken? hulcher did a great job
fixing the tracks. and gettingit all railed. take care Dave, be safe and stay healthy.
Thank you for the nice comment Barry. Glad you liked the video. The few guys that did show up worked very hard and did a great job at patching the track back together. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
HOwdy, Dave. I always enjoy your videos. Even the old ones. It's a whole lot easier re-railing an HO scale car than what you have to do. I reckon it's hard to maintain 4 feet 8 1/2 inches with rotten ties. Cheers from eastern TN
Rotten ties are the bane of railroading as you probably already
know Rusty. I learned to re rail cars when I was a boy and running
my HO set, they were always coming off track if I remember right. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks Dave , good clip.Enjoyed
Thank you for the nice comment Andrew, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Always interesting. Especially like the close up views to understand. Thanks Dave!
Thank you for the nice comment wolfman. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
Enjoy your videos you all do such a wonderful job keeping the rail road safe thank you Mr Dave and crew
Appreciate the nice comment Barbara. Thank you very much for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Dave when ya cut corners on costs somewhere some how it will wind up costing you more! this is a perfect example of that!
I worked in a shop that did that and eventually it cost them a very important machine seam making machine! in the process
not to mention the down time and money they spent REPLACING the machine as opposed to simple maintenance!
I hear you well on that one irongoatrocky. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Awesome video as always! I was surprised about there being a 42" gage didn't realize such a critter existed keep up the good work. I'm going to start my daughter on your videos when she isn't driving me crazy
Thank you for the nice comment Eugene, glad to hear you enjoyed.
Your daughter is welcome to drive me crazy instead of you....LOL
just teasing.... :-) Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
42 " gauge, more frequently called narrow gauge (or normal for those countries that use it as their main gauge) is 3ft 6inches.
ALL of New Zealand's track gauge, is 3' 6" / 42 " (although in the mid 1970's when we went to metric, we also "took" a 1/4" of slack out of the flange gauge - as by then most of our older rolling stock had well worn wheel flanges) - thus NZ is now determined to be 1062mm gauge (I made my own "ultra narrow gauge" farm railway, as 1/2 scale; ie: 531 mm), just because I didn't want it as two foot gauge which would have required me to register it as an amusement railway, and pay excessive amounts of compliance costs..?
South Africa also has the same 3'6" narrow gauge, as do several other countries world wide.
In fact - there exists some 112,000 kilometers (70,000 mi) of '6" / 42" / 1,067 mm gauge track in the world, which are classified as narrow gauge railways
When you eventually do some research on Google, you'll amaze yourself with the knowledge, that the largest / longest steam locomotives ever made, were the South African Railways GARRATTS - that ran on OMG - 42 " gauge.
Other railways over there, including the original Rhodesian Railways - was 3'6" gauge.
Which meant that LOT of locomatives and rolling stock too, was sent from them to NZ and visa versa.
However, the Garratts were designed & built in the UK by Beyer-Garratt (where there were a lot of 42" railways.)
I was amazed when researching my own 531mm (21" gauge hand built farm railway) that there was a VERY WELL DEVELOPED 15" railway with working steam locos etc., that ran all the way down into the marshlands in southern UK. To then do a complete circular turning loop, before heading back north.
It was the world renowned Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romney,_Hythe_and_Dymchurch_Railway
But I digress, as there are a LOT of 42" mainline railways - world wide.
Here's an incomplete list.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_ft_6_in_gauge_railways
Nice repair Dave agree with you comments on seeing your infrastructure as you can’t inspect track fixings that you can’t see
Thank you for the nice comment Ian, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Great couple of videos of a derail cleanup, Dave. I'm a 20 year veteran engineer on a short line here in Arkansas. We usually clean up our own derails, but sometimes, ya just got to bite the bullet and call Hulcher (or RJ Corman). Hulcher's guys are amazing to watch at work. They don't mess around when they get on site. Your videos sure take me back to my own railroading days, which I really enjoyed.
Thank you grassblade for the very nice comment. We don't have
the equipment to do jobs like that and Hulcher always does a good
job for us also, yes they are amazing to watch. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Another great video Dave, glad everything got patched up with a quikness to turn and burn.. didnt know there where 2 different types of gage bars, i have one of the ones you shown.. good stuff
Thank you for the kind words Pappy. Nice to hear
you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop
by and check out the presentation my friend.
Bravo! Standing ovation!
Thank you for the kind words TheRopeAddict. Nice to hear
you liked the video. Appreciate your taking the time to drop
by and check out the presentation my friend.
I've got to say. Been watching your videos for a month now and I like the raw content from a RR employee side of things. Views and info we don't get as regular railfans outside the fence most times.
If I wasn't in VA and not working in aviation, this would be a Railfan location on my bucket list. 😅
Thank you for the nice comment AOGWardog, glad to hear you are enjoying the home movies. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I can tell you from experience this is much easier in HO scale 😊
Thank you for the nice comment KerboOnYT, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Hello Dave,
Wow, thank you very much for your explanation on the derailment, with the number of trains you company run it can't leave much time to keep the track in good condition.
Thank you and your fellow crews for their time.
There can't be many film makers like your self who give a free English lesson as well 🤣, (there is only the correct way to spell gauge.... as there is only one way to spell the name of the agricultural implement which turns the soil called a plough 🤣🤣🤣🤣)
Many thanks for your time to share you railway knowledge with us,
Rgds, Peter.
Appreciate the nice comment Peter. English teacher pays less
than railroader so I'll stick with railroading for now....LOL Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
That's Dave for sharing your conclusion on the derailment.
Your welcome Brian. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Glad to see the line is back in operation Dave.
Thank you for the nice comment Alf, you are right. Appreciate your taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend
That's railroad in! Another great video Dave.
Thank you for the nice comment Derrick, glad to hear you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
Well another day railroading, these days are the best,when everything is running like it suppose to and the revenue is coming in,still love hearing the beast even if she is at idle,hope your feet are feeling better lol just kidding,again taking all in stride and doing what has to be done to get the job done,until the next adventure,take care my friend
We like to see them running coal with no flaws, which actually
does happen 90% of the time, I just show the goof ups and not
all the good times. Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out the presentation my friend